Recipe for Red Russian Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw

One of the fun things about having a vegetable garden is growing plants you might never have tried, and this year I experimented with a type of heirloom kale called Red Russian Kale. Although this plant can be allowed to mature and eaten in ways similar to other varieties of kale, the seed package and several online sources recommended picking the leaves when they were small and eating them as salad greens. I did like the flavor of the raw kale, and going partly on instinct, I combined it with red cabbage, green onions, and a slightly chile-flavored dressing to make a colorful coleslaw I thought was just delicious. I realize lots of readers won't have access to this variety of kale, but you can certainly make this salad with cabbage, and if you have a garden maybe it will inspire you to look for seeds for this heirloom kale next year.

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Costco's Great Reusable Shopping Bags

Everyone knows that humans are creating waste at an alarming rate, and anything that keeps our earth from filling up with plastic bags is a good thing. However, even though I did embrace that concern in theory, I've been slow to embrace the idea of bringing my own shopping bags to the store. That's happily changed since I purchased a supply of these re-usable shopping bags from Costco, which is why I'm showcasing them for one of my Kalyn's Kitchen Picks, the feature where I spotlight products I really love.

Green Bean Salad with Greek Olives and Feta Cheese

(Updated July 2008) The twenty-fourth of July is a holiday in Utah, celebrating the day the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake valley in 1847. Nowdays that means everyone gets an extra day off in July, so my friends Mary and Ken had a barbecue. One of the things I made for the party was this green bean salad, so I decided it was time to finally take a photo of this dish and update the recipe.

How to Freeze Fresh Basil

Frozen basil is wonderful in soups and pasta sauces!

(Updated - July 2008) When I wrote a quick little post about how to freeze fresh basil more than two years ago for Weekend Herb Blogging, I didn't realize it would turn into one of the most popular posts ever on Kalyn's Kitchen! I'm still growing and freezing fresh basil every summer and I decided it's time to update this with better photos and more complete instructions. I'm also adding ideas for using frozen basil after the photos.

Asian Style Coleslaw (for Sher, who touched so many lives)

It's now nearly a week since I got a phone call telling me that my "blogging friend" Sher from What Did You Eat had died from a heart attack, and yet I still can hardly believe she's gone. During the past week there have been so many bloggers talking about the affection they felt for Sher, and I can't help but think she would be very much surprised at how many people are deeply saddened at her death. Sher was a giver, not a taker, and she made her way quietly around the food blog world, never thinking about herself, but making people feel good wherever she went.

Basil Vinaigrette for Drizzling on Tomatoes (or Why I think Everyone Should Grow Basil)

(Updated July 2008) I've written about basil vinaigrette a few times since I first posted this recipe, but last night I picked a huge bucket of basil from my garden, chopped it up in my food processor with olive oil, froze some of the chopped basil, and made a big batch of basil vinaigrette with the rest for a family party tonight. That's when I decided it was time to update this post with a photo of basil vinaigrette, one of my favorite things about summer. I love tomatoes any way you prepare them, however serving tomatoes with basil vinaigrette drizzled over them takes the summer tomato thing to a whole new level.

Friday Night Photos: Thai Food at Sawadee

Salt Lake really does have some outstanding Thai restaurants, and one I discovered in the last year is Sawadee, located on historic South Temple. The Thai food here always tastes fresh-tasting and flavorful. The restaurant also has lovely decor, like this little statue on a table in the main room.

BlogHer 2008 Meets in San Francisco and Fun Times with Fellow Food Bloggers

I had a really great time at the 2008 BlogHer Conference in San Francisco, hanging out with over 1,000 women bloggers, including more than a few of my favorite food bloggers. Taking photos of people is not my best skill, but I'm trying to improve! Here are shots of some people I met, and after the photos are links to posts about the conference from other bloggers.

First up, not a food blogger, but I was very excited to meet Jennette Fulda from Half of Me, since I love her blog, and I kicked off her book tour on Kalyn's Kitchen! We had a nice dinner together on Friday, along with the famous SueBob of Red Stapler fame. It was a fun way to start out the conference (especially after the flying day from hell, courtesy of Delta Airlines.)

Napa Cabbage Slaw Recipe with Carrots and Fennel-Dijon Dressing

I've recently become a fan of the idea of making coleslaw with napa cabbage for a slightly more delicate flavor, so when I received a review copy of The Summertime Anytime Cookbook and there was a recipe for napa cabbage slaw, I was anxious to try it. The crushed fennel seeds in the dressing were another thing that attracted me to this recipe. I'm impressed with a lot of the recipes in this cookbook, and I found this fennel-Dijon flavored slaw to be delightful. (For the record, I never accept payment for writing about cookbooks, and when I sample cookbooks, I only write about the book if it turns out to be one I would actually purchase myself.)

Planning an Online Memorial for a Wonderful Blogger and Friend

There are bloggers who share lots of personal details of their lives, but I'm not one of them. I try very hard to keep my blog focused on the recipes, with a tiny glimpse of my life once in a while. Today I've literally been sitting in front of the computer for at an hour, trying to start the hardest post I've had to write since I started blogging. By now, many of you have heard that the lovely and wonderful Sher from What Did You Eat died from a heart attack on Sunday morning. My heart is simply aching at this news.

Ten Delicious Zucchini Recipes for Everyone with an Abundance of Zucchini!

By the time you're reading this I'll be in San Francisco attending the 2008 BlogHer Conference, where I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of other food bloggers. Before I left town I noticed my garden was about to start producing zucchini like mad, and since I'm not doing any cooking this weekend, I thought I'd do a round-up of my favorite zucchini recipes for everyone who has an abundance of zucchini. First up is this super easy Grilled Zucchini, which was a recipe I first shared when I leaving town to attend BlogHer 2006 in San Jose.

Friday Night Photos: Family Campout At New Fork Lake in Wyoming

Last Friday I showed you the photos from the trip to Wyoming and promised some photos of the actual family campout. You've heard the expression "Happy Camper?" Well, this is Cooper (age 5) and he has captured a pine beetle (oh the excitement!) This year we had a relatively small group and very few kids were there, but Cooper definitely managed to have a great time with the bugs.

White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Salad Recipe with Roasted Tomato-Basil Dressing

When I posted how to roast red peppers on a barbecue grill, I promised I'd share the salad I made with the roasted red peppers. This recipe was created with those roasted peppers in mind, but the dressing was inspired by "Hmm, what's in the freezer that I need to use?" I used some of last summer's slow roasted tomatoes and frozen basil puree to start making room for this year's garden surplus, but I'll tell you how to substitute those ingredients if you don't have them in your freezer.

Roasted Zucchini Recipe with Green Onions, Feta Cheese, and Basil

(Updated July 2008) I've been adapting this recipe ever since I first posted it in 2005, and I'm finally updating it with a photo and the version of the recipe I've settled on after making it for a few years. This is one of my favorite easy recipes for zucchini, and I used the first zucchini from this year's garden to make what you see in the photo. I shared it with my former neighbor, the famous Carol with the fabulous steak marinade recipe, and she gave it a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

How To Roast Red Bell Peppers on a Barbecue Grill

Before I tell you how easy it is to roast sweet bell peppers on a barbecue grill, let me first reassure everyone that there's absolutely nothing wrong with roasted red peppers that come in a jar. In fact for years I kind of pooh-poohed the idea of roasting your own peppers, and then about a month ago I had one of those big packages of six bell peppers you get at Costco, and suddenly I just felt like roasting some peppers. It took me a few tries to get a process I thought was actually easy, and while I'm not going to claim I'll never use the jarred red peppers again, there's no doubt that the flavor of the freshly roasted peppers is just wonderful.

Friday Night Photos: Wyoming Road Trip and Pinedale Wyoming

Last week was the annual Denny Family Campout and I drove to Wyoming for the weekend. I have a lot to learn about photographing scenery in bright sunlight, and should have read this about filters before I took these pictures! Still, maybe readers who haven't seen this part of the U.S. might like seeing it. The picture above is an example of the layered rock formation and coloring that's common all over Utah. This was on U.S. 40, just before entering Wyoming.

Chilled Wilted Tatsoi Salad Recipe with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

A few weeks ago I went to the Salt Lake Downtown Alliance Farmer's Market for the first time this year and got some Tatsoi. I had only vaguely heard of Tatsoi, but I thought it would be fun to try. Apparently it's a type of Asian greens related to bok choy that can be eaten raw or cooked. It's becoming popular and is now grown around the world. Interestingly, the plant is resistant to cold, and several sources mentioned it can be harvested from underneath snow. Apparently Tatsoi grows in a lovely bunch like this, but what I got was a bag of leaves, and more searching revealed that you can harvest the whole plant or individual leaves. I did find a few other bloggers talking about Tatsoi (mostly people who had received it in their CSA box and were wondering what to do with it!) Some people compare the flavor to mustard greens, but I found it to be milder, more like swiss chard, and very pleasant. Since there are new rules for Weekend Herb Blogging which request focusing on herbs or unusual plant ingredients, I thought Tatsoi would be a fun thing to feature. This week's host is Simona from Briciole, and here is where to send your entry if you'd like to participate.

Kalyns Kitchen Picks: Meza Hummus

Over the holiday weekend I went on a road trip to Wyoming for the annual Denny Family Campout. At the campout, I prepared an appetizer plate with hummus, pita, feta cheese, red pepper spread, and salami, and I was gently reminded that there are a number of my brothers and sisters who don't like hummus! I'd discovered this hummus-indifference a few years ago, but must have repressed the knowledge of this terrible family secret. Can you even imagine not liking hummus?

Grilled Skinless Chicken (Thighs or Breasts) with Asian Marinade

(Updated July 2008) I'm in the process of updating my recipes that don't have photos, and when I got to this one, I realized that although I created this with skinless chicken thighs, now I would make this with chicken breasts, cooked on a skewer like the ones in the photo. You can use either part of the chicken for this recipe, and skewers are also optional, but they do make the chicken cook a little more quickly.

BlogHer Conference '08 Comes to San Francisco and Meet-Ups for Food Bloggers

Before you know it, over a thousand bloggers will be in San Francisco for the 2008 BlogHer Conference. Many of you know that I write about food for BlogHer.com, and I have great respect for all the women associated with BlogHer. I'm excited to be attending BlogHer '08, and also about meeting more food bloggers, not only the people attending BlogHer, but hopefully some San Francisco food bloggers as well. Here are a couple of announcements for bloggers who are attending the conference, plus news about plans you might want to get in on if you'll be in San Francisco that weekend.

The Garden is Thriving: 2008 Garden Update #7

It's been a while since I've posted a garden update, so let me start by saying I'm thrilled beyond words with the raised beds which are allowing me to grow things like the gorgeous romaine lettuce above. Not only that, I'm doing maybe 25% as much weeding as I used to, so things are pretty happy in the garden around here.

Friday Night Photos: Eating at Hires Hamburgers with Aunt Kalyn

If you've been reading Kalyn's Kitchen for a while you might have heard me talk about my large Utah family (40+ nieces and nephews and 20+ great nieces and nephews at last count!) The kids in this post belong to my sister Valerie. She lives in central Utah, so I don't see her kids as much as I'd like, but every summer they stay a few days with Aunt Kalyn. One of our traditions is visiting Hires Hamburgers, where the food is delicious but most definitely not South Beach Diet friendly. Recently the kids were here for three days, so here are some photos of them and what we had at Hires.

Mashed Cauliflower Recipe with Cheese and Dill

For about a month now I've been fixated on dill, and here I am using dill again. I loved this recipe with cauliflower, dill, feta, and other cheeses, adapted from Dill and Colby Mashed Cauliflower by Sue at Coffee and Cornbread. Unfortunately I've loved my fresh dill so much that it's been trimmed within an inch of it's life, so I'll have to ignore it and let some feathery leaves grow out before I can have another dill frenzy.

Fourth of July Grilling Ideas (2008 Edition)

Last year I offered readers some Grilling Ideas for the Fourth of July. Now it's a year later and lots more delicious things have been cooked on my grill, so here are some new grilling ideas for the Fourth of July 2008. There are also lots more ideas in the Grilling section of the recipe archives. Happy Grilling everyone!

Carols Completely Fabulous Steak Marinade and Grilled Tri-Tip Recipe

In the U.S there's a big holiday coming up, and even if you're someone who's dieting or watching your pennies, it seems like a bit of a splurge is in order for the Fourth of July. Tri-Tip steak is a cut of beef that won't break the budget, and though it may be slightly higher in fat than the cuts of steak you can eat on the South Beach Diet, I think it's okay for a once-in-a-while holiday treat. And as you can see from the title, this recipe for marinated and grilled tri-tip made quite an impression on me. So who is this Carol and how did I get her completely fabulous recipe for marinated and grilled tri tip?

South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up: June 2008

Kalyn's favorite phase one recipe for June was this
Leftover Salmon Salad with Yogurt and Dill.

June has ended, and I was surprised to see how many wonderful South Beach Diet phase one recipes I've discovered for this month's round-up, because actually I've been distracted from reading my favorite blogs lately. Of course, the round-up includes phase one recipes I've posted on Kalyn's Kitchen during the month too. I know phase one is the hardest part of the diet for many people, but this abundance of tasty recipes shows how many delicious foods you can eat on phase one. I'm also including a few recipes where minor changes will make it okay for phase one, with changes noted.